Memorial to be held for 2 soldiers killed in Iraq
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — A memorial will be held Saturday for two 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment soldiers killed in action in Iraq.
The Department of Defense announced that Spc. Jason C. Kazarick, 30, of Oakmont, Pa., and Sgt. Michael T. Lilly, 23, of Boise, Idaho, died April 7 in Sadr City, a Baghdad neighborhood. They were assigned to 2nd Cav’s Company B, 1st Squadron.
A woman who lived in the apartment above Kazarick in Oakmont described him as a “very kind and respectful guy.”
“He really left an impression on me,” Norma Jean Leslie told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper. “It truly breaks my heart to know that he is gone.”
The Idaho Press-Tribune reported that Lilly’s parents asked for privacy and requested their names not be made public. In a statement to the media, they said their son loved Idaho, the United States and the Army.
“Michael knew he had an important job to do, and he did it,” his mother said, according to the newspaper report. “He knew what he was doing was important, and there was never any question in his mind that serving in the Army was what he needed to do. His whole life, he wanted to serve our country.”
“He was a good son, a loving husband, a good friend and a patriotic person. That’s why he joined the Army,” she said.
The Press-Tribune reported that Lilly and Kazarick were killed when enemy forces attacked using a rocket-propelled grenade.
Saturday’s memorial ceremony, which is open to the public, will be held at 11 a.m. at the Rose Barracks chapel.
